5. Disney guests must cover their tattoos

Disney tattoos: OK or forbidden?
Image: kill, Flickr (license)

The Myth: Disney’s disapproval of tattoos extends to theme park guests. Those with visible tattoos must cover them before entering the park.

The Truth: This myth stems from an April Fool’s Day post in Inked Magazine. Closer reading of the article makes it clear that the entire piece is simply a joke. However, many readers glossed over the date and took it all as fact.

The truth is that Disney prohibits visible tattoos on Cast Members. However, their jurisdiction doesn’t extend to guests. Guests are, however, prohibited from wearing clothing with vulgar images or words, and from wearing authentic-looking character costumes in the parks.

6. Cast Members must grant your wishes

The Myth: Cast Members are required to bend to guests’ wishes and grant their demands.

The Truth: Cast Members must be polite to guests in all circumstances. However, this doesn’t mean an automatic yes for any request. Obviously, requests that violate safety policies are automatically out. However, Cast Members can and will tell you no for anything that would disrupt normal operations, including going through the FastPass+ line out of turn. Disney parks may go out of their way to keep visitors happy, but there are always limits.

7. If Tink doesn’t fly, admission is free

Does Tink have a secret?
Image: HarshLight, Flickr (license)

The Myth: If Tinkerbell doesn’t make her descent from Cinderella Castle during the Wishes fireworks show, you can get a refund on your admission.

The Truth: There are plenty of reasons for an attraction to go down, most of which are completely unpredictable. The brief flight of Tinkerbell is a relatively minor thing to miss. You might visit on a night when inclement weather cancels Wishes entirely. The parades may not happen. You could even visit on a day like one I experienced at Disney’s Animal Kingdom where all outdoor attractions were closed due a storm, It’s Tough to Be a Bug suffered from a lightning strike, and an E-stop took down Dinosaur, leaving guests with virtually nothing to experience for the hour these events coincided.

It’s extremely unlikely that you’ll receive a refund at all, and there is certainly no official policy providing one simply because an attraction was inaccessible. Missing Tinkerbell’s flight isn’t even a rare occurrence. Tink is, after all, a living breathing creature and she won’t fly if the conditions are unfavorable. She certainly can’t risk getting those wings wet!

8. Disney is ditching Piglet

The beloved Piglet
Image: JD Hancock, Flickr (license)

The Myth: Disney removed Piglet from Winnie the Pooh products to appease Muslim customers who deem pigs unclean.

The Truth: The Mothercare chain of outlet stores in New York reportedly considered whether Pooh and Piglet could be separated in their retail outlets, as a response to requests from their customers. Disney itself was never involved in the issue, and Piglet was certainly never removed from the official line of Disney products.

The next time you encounter a shocking story about Disney, you may want to dig a little deeper before you get upset over the implications. As with anything this popular, it’s very likely that whatever you hear is untrue.